"Art is much less important than life, but what a poor life without it."

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September 2017 is shaping up to be the month of “All Things Chuck”, an homage to the late Chuck Ramirez, a Southtown fixture who tragically passed away in a bicycle accident in 2010. Along with the much-ballyhooed exhibits at the McNay Art Museum and Ruiz-Healy Art, Linda Pace Foundation (LPF) is providing a complement to these exhibits with a tight little show at their SPACE Gallery. “INCITE” opens with a reception on Thursday, September 7, 2017, 6-8 p.m.

The exhibition draws on a variety of media including photography, video, installation art, painting and collage. According to the press release, “Themes of whimsy and ephemerality connect the selected artworks on exhibit in ‘INCITE.’ At first glance, they give an impression of light-hearted simplicity, as brightly colored depictions of confetti balls, pom-poms and piñatas attract viewers and provoke a feeling of festivity. Yet, when looked at in depth, layers of more complex themes emerge alluding to the temporary nature of these ordinary objects.”

The Linda Pace Foundation is pleased to present the Texas debut of Secondary Stories, a room-sized installation by Brazilian artist Rivane Neuenschwander, who has become widely regarded for her often ephemeral work that explores narratives about language, nature, social interactions and the passing of time. The exhibition, showcasing Secondary Stories as well as three video installation works, opens at SPACE, the public gallery of the Linda Pace Foundation, located at 111 Camp Street, on April 30, 2016 and will remain on view through July 29, 2017. The exhibition is free and open to the public during gallery hours (Wednesday – Saturday; 12-5pm).

Anna Stothart, Brown Foundation Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, has announced that she is taking a newly created position as a Director at Lehmann Maupin Gallery in New York City. Stothart joined the Museum in 2015, and since then has expanded the contemporary art program at the Museum through presenting two traveling exhibitions—28 Chinese and Corita Kent and the Language of Pop—and with the recent re-installation of the contemporary galleries.

“Anna has fostered relationships with the art community, installed two exhibitions, and brought new exciting acquisitions into the collection, including two important works by emerging artists— the mixed media loveseat (2015) by Sarah Cain and the abstract painting Open Reverse Bottom (Dots) (2015) by Matt Connors,” said Katie Luber, the Kelso Director. “She has left her mark and helped the Museum in its evolution to be a world-class Museum. We will miss her, but we wish her well in this next step in her career.”

Stothart’s responsibilities at Lehmann Maupin will include overseeing and generating written content and programming for the gallery. She will focus on museum and major collector acquisitions. “It is with sadness that I leave San Antonio. I leave behind great friends and colleagues, a welcoming art community, and a wonderful museum. This was an incredible opportunity that I couldn’t pass up,” said Stothart. “I look forward to furthering my connection to San Antonio through the Museum, and the city’s collectors and artists.”

After 43 years, Fiesta Arts Fair at the Southwest School of Art (SSA) is still consistently rated as a favorite among Fiesta-goers, young and old. This year’s fair will take place on Saturday, April 16, 10 am – 6 pm and Sunday, April 17, 11 am – 5 pm. Typically 12,000 people attend this event each year, so you are likely to run into a few people you know.

Barbara Hill and the rest of the SSA staff and volunteers work hard to keep the quality and the fun factor high. This year there will be more than 110 artists from across the country working in a variety of media. The show is juried and competitive, so the quality of the work shown is always top-notch. I had the pleasure of serving as a juror for the 2015 event and also exhibited there a few moons back, so take it from someone who knows. This year’s awards will be presented on Saturday, 1:30 – 2:00 p.m.

Currently on exhibit at Ruiz-Healy Art is Infinite Horizons: Leigh Anne Lester and Abelardo López.

Based in San Antonio, Texas, Leigh Anne Lester combines bits and pieces of wildly divergent species grafted together, the results of genetic modification plans. Utilizing historical botanical drawings as source images, Lester makes delicate graphite drawings on Mylar, layering the film to create composite images, to which she adds additional layers of cells blocked in colored pencil to symbolize the manipulated genome of the plant. Mixing a blown-up view of the microscopic with the naturalistic botanicals, the result runs López’s evocation of infinite distance in reverse.

Public art installation on the Malecon boulevard along the Havana waterfront. El Morro, a 17th-century fort, is in the background. Photo by Page Graham, June 2015.

Please join the Southwest School of Art for a special panel discussion with Tami Kegley, Paula Owen, Gary Sweeney an Luisa Wheeler on their experience at the 12th Havana Art Biennial and recent travels through Cuba.

The event will be held Tuesday, June 30th, 2015 at 5:30 pm. The panel discussion will be held at the Russell Hill Rodgers Lecture Hall at the Navarro Campus (300 Augusta Street, San Antonio, TX 78205).

Drinks and small bites will be served. Please RSVP to jnance@swschool.org

Known for art that is conceptually based and highly formal, Jesse Amado’s practice occupies the liminal space that hovers between life and art. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, he received his BA in English from the University of Texas at Austin and his BFA and MFA from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Amado resided in both Texas and New York City for many years, but has now chosen to live in his hometown full time.